[Herald Interview] E’last delves into Korean snacks, swears eternal love for fans

While its name may sound new to K-pop listeners, E’last proved its potential to become a rookie this year by showcasing its various charms and talents. Having debuted in early June, the eight-piece group dropped its first EP “Day Dream,” featuring lead single “Swear,” backed by a chivalrous knight concept that is rare in the industry. Previously known as Eboyz, E’last stands for “everlasting” and consists of Choi In, Rano, Seungyeop, Baekgyeul,

July 24, 2020

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

A Mermaid in Paris (France) Opened July 23 Comedy, Fantasy, Romance Directed by Mathias Malzieu In Paris, heavy rains have led to historic flooding of the Seine along with mysterious disappearances. One night, Gaspard Snow (Nicolas Duvauchelle), a melancholic musician, is attracted by the enchanting voice of a wounded yet beautiful young mermaid (Marilyn Lima). Eager to save her, Gaspard unknowingly embarks on adventures that, through the power of love and music, may well mend his broken hear

July 24, 2020

[Herald Interview] Singer-songwriter Demian hopes to sing complexity of emotions with not-so-loud voice

Some might say that life is a succession of pain and joy, but for Demian, it was one tight ball of ambiguity. The 26-year-old singer-songwriter believed that even the most miniscule moments of life, despite their fleeting nature, overflowed with complex, undefined, contradicting emotions. “I try to seize those unfamiliar moments in our daily lives, when all kinds of conflicting emotions crash with each other, such as love, hatred, guilt and understanding,” said the rising singer-son

July 23, 2020

BTS sets new Guinness record for most-watched online concert

K-pop superstars BTS' latest online concert has set a new Guinness world record for most viewers. "BTS have achieved a new Guinness World Records title for most viewers for a music concert livestream," the Guinness World Records website said Thursday. "756,000 fans from over 100 countries tuned in to the online performance on June 14." "Bang Bang Con: The Live" was streamed live for around 100 minutes remotely from a studio in Seoul last month. The septet cancele

July 23, 2020

Director says ‘Steel Rain’ universe is different from DC, Marvel comics

With three webcomic series and two films of the “Steel Rain” series about the Korean Peninsula, director-writer Yang Woo-suk has now built his own universe about what he calls “simulations” of situations and solutions to the ongoing inter-Korean conflict. “It’s a story that must be told and must be called upon by someone. I’m not trying to send a message, but giving suggestions of simulations and throwing questions through them. And the audience will m

July 23, 2020

Indieforum 2020 kicks off Thursday after skipping a year

This year’s Indieforum, or Independent Film & Video Makers Forum, will start its five-day run at the Indie Art Space and the Seoul Art Cinema in central Seoul on Thursday. Along with the screening of 24 movies chosen from 813 submissions, exhibitions, including “Place, Ghost, Spot” that looks at history of a place, and “Roaming Subjects of Cinema” that focuses on the state of independent movies today will be shown at the 24th edition of the country’s old

July 22, 2020

MPyC kicks off 3-week run celebrating Beethoven

The curtain went up on the 17th Music in PyeongChang festival Wednesday, kicking off three weeks of concerts. The biannual classical music festival, organized by the Gangwon Arts & Culture Foundation, will be held across Gangwon Province until Aug. 8. This year, the festival is titled “Must it be? It must be!” paying homage to Beethoven. Like many other music festivals this year, the summer event celebrates the 250th anniversary of the birth of the composer. On Wednesday,

July 22, 2020

NGC publishes English e-book on gugak instruments

The National Gugak Center recently published the second edition of English-language e-book “Traditional Korean Instruments: A Practical Guide for Composers,” aiming to introduce gugak, traditional Korean music, instruments to foreign composers. The first edition of the guide, containing information about gayageum, geomungo, daegeum, piri, haegeum and ajaeng, was published in 2018. The new e-book, written by gugak musicians and scholars, was published in Korean last year. An Englis

July 22, 2020

Resumption of large indoor concerts deadlocked again due to COVID-19

A recent spike in novel coronavirus cases in Seoul and its nearby cities has hindered the scheduled resumptions of large concerts in the capital, which have been on hold for months. On Tuesday, Songpa Ward in southeastern Seoul prohibited all indoor events of more than 5,000 people from taking place at arenas and concert halls in the district, where large indoor sporting facilities, the legacy of 1988 Seoul Olympics, are located. The measure came as the Seoul metropolitan area has been report

July 22, 2020

K-pop singer Zico to begin alternative military service this month

K-pop artist and producer Zico will begin his alternative military service later this month, his management agency said Tuesday. He will enter a boot camp on July 30 for four weeks of basic military training and will then serve as a social worker, according to KOZ Entertainment. All able-bodied South Korean men are required to serve in the military, but those judged unfit for active-duty service are allowed to serve an alternative one. Zico reportedly has health issues. Since his debut with

July 21, 2020

K-pop album sales remain robust despite pandemic

The K-pop industry boasts record album sales this year in spite of canceled tours and stage performances. According to Gaon Chart, the nation’s top 400 albums sold 18.08 million copies in the first half of this year -- a 40 percent jump from last year’s 12.33 million and the highest figure since the chart started tallying album sales in 2010. Of the 400 albums tracked, the top 100 -- all from K-pop bands or soloists -- sold 16.89 million copies, making up more than 90 percent of

July 21, 2020

Pianist Kim Sun-wook to hold recital in September

Classical music production company Vincero announced Monday that pianist Kim Sun-wook’s much-anticipated recital will be held Sept. 13 at the Seoul Arts Center. Kim’s recital was initially scheduled to take place in March, but was postponed due to the spread of COVID-19. At the recital, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of Beethoven, Kim will present the great maestro’s Andante Favori, WoO 57; Piano Sonata No. 30, Op. 109; Piano Sonata No. 31, Op. 110; and P

July 21, 2020

Shim Eun-kyung says ‘Blue Hour’ is fairytale for grownups

Shim Eun-kyung depicts the bittersweet pain felt in adulthood in the upcoming Japanese film “Blue Hour.” “The film is like a fairy tale for adults. The growing pains we feel as an adult may be different (from that of children), and this film warmly embraces such experience,” Shim said in a live video press conference conducted following the film’s press premiere Monday. Coming from rookie Japanese director Yuko Hakota, “Blue Hour” revolves around 30

July 21, 2020

Warner Bros. Korea ponders over ‘Tenet’ release date

Warner Bros. Korea is still figuring out a release date for Christopher Nolan’s highly-anticipated movie “Tenet” as Warner Bros. chairman Toby Emmerich announced that the studio is pushing back the US release date of the movie indefinitely from August 12 on Monday (local time). “We are still in the middle of discussions. We will try to make our decision within the week,” said CEO Kim Tae-joo of ROSC, the company in charge of marketing “Tenet” in Korea.

July 21, 2020

[Herald Interview] Golden Child quenches fans’ thirst with fun-filled live chat

Having returned with “Lucid Dream,” Golden Child recently sat down with The Korea Herald to quench fans’ thirst for a lively chat filled with fun-filled details. The conversation took place at the Herald headquarters in Seoul, where the bandmates played “Who’s Who” game and answered Twitter questions, unleashing their most natural, fun selves. Although the broadcast took place on a rainy Monday morning, the studio was brightly lit by the boys’ unbridle

July 21, 2020

Wesley Snipes praises late father-in-law, legendary S. Korean TV producer

American actor Wesley Snipes on Tuesday honored the life and career of late South Korean television producer and father-in-law Park Cheol, praising him for being a key driving force behind today's wide popularity of Korean culture overseas. In a Korean-language eulogy in honor of Park, Snipes applauded his late father-in-law for leading South Korea "to the forefront of cultural history" and pushing the country forward as "a great powerhouse that created the Korean cultural wave

July 21, 2020

‘Open Theater 2020’ to run ‘health check’ on drama scene

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced its plans for the “Open Theater 2020” project, aiming to invigorate the theater scene. Instead of presenting a large number of plays, the project will run a diagnostic test on the current state of the country’s drama scene. “Open Theater 2020” will consist of 14 programs -- including seminars, talks and workshops -- all focused on creating a healthier theater scene. The project worth 2.1 billion won ($1.74 mi

July 20, 2020

TREASURE, YG's 1st new K-pop act after BLACKPINK, to debut next month

TREASURE, YG Entertainment's first new K-pop group in four years since BLACKPINK's debut, will officially launch next month, the company announced Monday. The 12-piece boy band, which includes four Japanese members, will make its debut on Aug. 7, according to YG. The company released a teaser video and a poster announcing the debut date. TREASURE is YG Entertainment's first K-pop act following the company's successful female quartet BLACKPINK which debuted in 2016. The group is composed of th

July 20, 2020

‘Peninsula’ leads Asian box office upon release

“Peninsula” -- a loose sequel to smash-hit zombie flick “Train to Busan” -- topped box office charts in all four countries where it opened over the last five days. The film swept through box offices in Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, according to the film’s distributor Next Entertainment World on Monday, bringing moviegoers back into local cinemas and reviving the COVID19-hit film scene. “Peninsula” has sold more than 1.8 million tickets in Ko

July 20, 2020

How romance is changing in dramas, disappointing viewers

Romantic relationships of young Koreans are changing fast, and marriage -- once considered the destination point of a successful relationship -- is no longer a must, and television dramas are quickly picking up on the trend. Terrestrial broadcaster KBS began airing rom-com “Men are Men” this month, centered on the story of a woman in her 30s, Seo Hyun-joo, who declares “marriage to oneself” three times in her life in the first episode. While producer Choi Yoon-suk said

July 20, 2020